Tears before bedtime

Well today is the day.
At 11pm tonight we leave the EU, something that I have known for a large part of my life.
I do not make political statements either here or on any of my social media, I prefer to keep my opinions on this to myself.
However this morning I, for the last time woke up a European  & British citizen.

And so we move on.

I was having a catch up with Ben and Tom yesterday as well as booking some time off so that I can go and cheer them on.
I also was doing a bit of 'wheeler dealing' and hopefully if we can pull things together might have some good news for one of them.
They are having a great time in Australia although temperatures are still a lot different from Yorkshire!

They only have a few weeks left before they are due home. I am sure they will try to cram as much in as possible before then.

I have a busy day ahead, no Big Al's today as there are so few in the office, I have however bought a selection of patisseries for us to munch on.
After work there will be a quick trip into Darlo and then home to put my feet up and  some serious napping.

I am very tired!

There is nothing of note in the cricket world so best to head off and get the day done.


Have a fabulous  weekend. I have visiting to do and an exam to take!

I think I'm alone now

Much as this is probably where I would like to be, I am up and ready to head to the office, where I suspect I will be one of about 4, meaning that my office will be empty.

One workshop is closed down due to no workers, the other 2 workshops are just managing ( or were yesterday) and I had to send 2 people home yesterday with the 'sicky' bug.

It would be good to just close down until next week, but that is not going to happen, so I will be answering the phone, doing O & M's , ordering and doing a million other things. I am not a hero, or a martyr to the cause. I have a cold with a raging temperature. I can get work done, so off I go.

In cricket news, it seems that we have broken Jofra Archer...............gosh we must have done that in record time. He is back in the UK trying to get fit.
Mate get back to Sussex before they break you beyond repair.
There is a lot of talk about the team jigsaw pieces now starting to fit, lets hope no one nibbles the edges!

As there is little else to report I am off to the office to see what the damage is today.

I hope that you have a good day where ever you are.

Happy Thursday

Midweek

Wednesday has dawned with me struggling to get up, no change there at the moment, the evenings are getting slightly lighter as I leave work, but the mornings are still very dark,or they are when you get up at stupid o'clock.

2 months until the clocks go forward. Definitely something to look forward to along with a couple of trips away.

There is very little cricket news, apart form how England have finally got the winning team together, well that doesn't bode well for Jimmy does it?
And I do not for one moment believe that Mark Wood will remain fit. I am not being mean just speaking from past seasons.

I see Colleywobble getting himself in the photos with the team and bleating about his part in the winning side, yes, yes we all know how it works, MBE for 17 runs.

The bug at work is taking a real hold, as it rages through the offices and workshop, we have had to ban the lads from site, calling in to pick up anything 'just in case'.

I had a massive sneezing fit yesterday and feared that I may have done some damage to my intercostal muscle, luckily this morning it is not as painful.
So with sore nose, split lip and watery eyes, I am heading out the door to the plague ward.
Those who are off sick are staying home and those of us who are the walking wounded are resharing it with each other everyday.

I am down to 9 out of 23.
see you tomorrow


thought for the day

“If you have the chance
to make someone happy,
just do it.
Sometimes people are struggling silently.
Maybe, your act of kindness
can make their day.”

Temperature Tuesday

Well its Tuesday and I am dreading going to the office, as yesterday we were working on a skeleton staff due to them dropping like flies over the weekend.

There has for the past couple of weeks been some hideous sicky/coldy/flu thing going about and it looks as if 75%  of the office have got it.

Rather they stay at home and get well than continue to share it around the office.

I have enough problems without a sicky/coldy/flu thing.

In our line of work it is not a good idea to come to work with anything sicky as if you go to site and spread it , it can close down a whole system!

I am however  sniffing and have a head ache, luckily though I have no sickness.

In cricket England won the Test series against South Africa.
Its been a rough few months for the Southern Hemisphere team, with changes in management etc. Time for them to now regroup.


Onwards to ODI's

We are getting closer to the cricket season and seeing that chosen  counties are hawking The 100 with gay abandon, I am not at all as excited as normal.
Considering that this is a franchise game, maybe the franchisees should be doing more rather than messing up my time line and email, with the made up game.

At least I can get on with  important things in July like sunbathing in my garden and decorating, it won't be time wasted.

Well time to head out of the door and see if I am last man standing in the office today.

Have a great Tuesday.

thought for the day.

Never put the key to your happiness
in somebody else’s pocket.”

And it begins again

After a very busy weekend, once again I am struggling to get out of bed as a new working week begins.
And I don't see any sign of it being a quiet one, judging from the emails that I have just picked up.

So what has been going on.

Well there was much sorting out of wardrobes { and with 3 double wardrobes which I have managed to fill there was MUCH sorting} and the spare room bed is now laden with things to go on eBay { nearly all unworn}

I was keeping an eye on the cricket and between Stokes letting the hero mask slip and South Africa batting like my granny, I decided that the cinema was the best option.

South Africa start today needing to get 466 runs to win...…………..

Saturday night cinema, then a trip out to the golf club followed by a very late night/ early morning, led to yesterday not being as productive as I had hoped.
I'm struggling to get any wallpaper that I like, Laura Ashley have reverted to flowers and swirls when I want stripes.

I ended up having brunch and then heading to B & Q in the hope that they had  some stripes...………….they did but they all had 'sparkle' and I don't want that either.

And so I start the new week, cramming for my facial yoga exam, trying to get rid of more 'stuff' and  hoping that the new kitchen worktop come soon.
I also start the new week, feeling much more like Lady Lainey, I am wearing proper shoes all the time and not reverting to trainers . This may not seem like much, but to me its a huge step forward {pun intended}.
I'm loving pilates and have even started to have 30 minutes of shut of time most evenings after my 30 minute brisk walk.
All about health and wellbeing.

Have a wonderful day, take care of yourself and be kind to those around you.

Cricket and bacon butty day

Well its a cricket and bacon butty day today, I have the order to put in and as Norty Morty is moving house today the cost will be dramatically lower than last week!

Morty, is actually moving into a caravan on the land where he is building his forever home, he will be living in the caravan for the next 12-18 months and hopefully all will go better than his house sale, which should have happened on 13th December and finally went through on Wednesday.

In other office news, we have just been given the retirement date of  'C Bomb' Bill, who will be leaving after Easter. He will be alternating between his house on the North Yorkshire coast and his house in The Cayman Islands.

Noting what is happening with the two above I have come to the conclusion that I have done something terrible in a past life as I have neither a caravan in Durham City  or a house in the Caymans!!!!!

*note to self, must try harder*

In cricket news, today is the 1st day of the fourth test, with lots of talk about the bounce of the pitch.
Archer and Wood are being made up to be the heroes of the game before it even starts.
Typical British press.

Lets see what happens when it all kicks off later.


I have Rhys the joiner coming this afternoon to start the work in the kitchen. He is an absolute treasure and I'm hoping that within the next few months we will have  most of the work done. {sliding door in the kitchen, new dining room door, upstairs bathroom cladding done.}

I also have a trip to the tip to do this weekend and I am going to be doing some planting in the garden as well a looking for some new pots for the hydrangeas {  have to be cobalt blue pots}.


Does anyone else think that this has been the longest month? It must be at least the 84th of January, and we still have a week to go.

And with that I am off to do half day Friday.

Have a fabulous weekend, and enjoy the cricket.

Getting things moving

Isn't it funny how quickly you fall back into the struggle to get out of bed in the morning, I am at that stage now after my Xmas break, I am waiting for the mornings to get lighter, to help me get moving.

I need to get things moving, I am now expected to do 2.5 hours a week brisk walking, not the gentle amble that I have been doing, the dark nights and mornings seem to be working against me.

I am planning on getting into it this weekend and then hopefully I can break the lazy habit.

Its just over 2 months until the clocks go forward................that's always a huge boost.

It is expected of me that by this time I will have lost some of the weight needed { according to Greg the Physio}.

Pilates last night was great as I get back into the swing of 'sucking my belly button into my spine' and breathing at the same time!

I have been checking up on the cricket and see that as per usual they are racing to get bowlers fit, and are expecting to have Archer back in the attack.
I think that we could see a bit of burn out this summer with Archer, just my personal opinion.

However lets see what tomorrow at Jo'burg  brings.

Just as I was getting things sorted with the trip to Beirut, last night there was major rioting in the city, something that in reality can break out without cause and peace be restored very quickly. Well never a dull moment.

Hopefully no rioting in the office today..................although after a couple of bombshells yesterday I am sure that there may be a few sparks flying.

I think that I may need to provide doughnuts to smooth some ruffled feathers. The Richard Tators love making my job even harder.

Midweek

Here we are at Wednesday and the week is rushing by.

I am tired this morning and need to find some energy as I have Pilates tonight, I am also studying like mad  as I have my exam in Manchester very soon and want so much to pass with a decent score.

I am going in with 97% from my 10 assessments, so fingers crossed.

My website is coming along and I already have about 15 ladies who want to join the facial yoga classes.

I am also heading out in a couple of weeks to take up a Christmas present which was a wine tasting day and on further investigation I saw that I can take wine exams, so I have made enquiries about taking their level one.

For those who don't know me very well /at all, I worked with a wine company for a number of years promoting and selling their wines, they provided amazing training , so I thought it might be good to top this up {excuse the pun}.

In cricket Quinton de Kock has been named as Captain for the ODI series as Faf is not included in the squad, although he will remain Captain in the other two formats.

As the season draws near it is interesting to see that clubs are busy making signings and getting players to remain loyal.

I am busy organising things so that I can have my summer holiday and  see some cricket, but as I have said I am sort of having a year off, I need to concentrate on getting myself really fully fit and well.

However I have been looking at my end of season holiday. Probably not every ones idea of a holiday resort but it is very me, so after much investigation it looks like everything is go for a trip to Beirut.

Fingers crossed! {my original plan of the Europe Med is still roughly in place, but this is the ideal destination}

And with that I am off to Darlo, not quite as exotic and certainly not as warm.

Have a great day.

Cold and dark morning

Well its a cold, dark morning here in the north east of blighty, it looks like it will be another cold day.
Yesterday was the usual freezing Monday in the office { the Dictators switch off the heating on Friday }. Lots of work to do as the auditors are now arriving next week, so there is a on top of everything else, a sense of panic in the air at the top of the tree.

Last night as I was driving home, I watched a young man racing for the bus { he was running towards the bus} he was waving at the driver and was about 4 strides from the bus stop, when I watched the driver drive away.
The young man looked as if he was going to pass out, he had been running quite a distance to get the bus and I could see that he was very distressed, so I pulled out of the turning { I was on the opposite side of road}, told him to get in the car and chased the bus to the town centre { we were are the opposite end of the town} and got the very relieved young man finally on the bus.

I do not normally pick up strangers and I guess that he does not normally get into strange cars but the sheer hopelessness on his face as the bus drove away was too much for me.
He did say that the driver was looking him straight in the face and smiling as he drove away!

At least he finally got the bus which is the main thing.

In cricket England won the third test to go into a lead.
Faf  made it perfectly clear that he will not be retiring at the end of this series and I gave a huge sigh of relief.

And of course we are now going to win this series...………………………….according to the press.

I am now off to sort out my office and get us audit ready { and not to be too smug, we are, I learnt this many years ago and have always tried to keep things in order}.

I hope that it is not too cold with you all

Happy Tuesday

That was the weekend that was

Another weekend over and hard to see where it has gone or what has been achieved not even half of what I wanted to get done that's for sure.

This is due in part to sleeping a lot, doing numerous exercises and chatting with the chums and my lads 'down under'. It didn't take up all the weekend, as some was taken up with washing and tidying up and the usually boring stuff.

Strangely I got a message on Friday evening from an 'old flame' who is out in South Africa for the cricket, I assumed that he was either bored, drunk or both so chose to ignore him { not really me, but he didn't really deserve a response}.

Fast forward Saturday evening with friends, having a spot of food and rather too much champers, and he messages again.

This time I take no prisoners and expected him to crawl back under his stone...…………………….flipping heck, he only messaged me again last night.

And that was my weekend.

In cricket, South Africa were not having a good weekend, and today  they start 6 wickets down.

BBL in Australia is starting to wind down now as it seems to have been going on forever!

Adelaide Strikers won yesterday over Hobart, and Melbourne Renegades beat Brisbane Heat.

And so to the week ahead, well I have work going on at The Wickets and also Pilates as well as the joy of another 4 O &M manuals to get out the door by the end of the month, this will make 14 manuals this month!!!

So I'm keeping it short, I hope that you all have a great start to the week.

Happy Monday 

I've got that Friday feeling

I have indeed got that Friday feeling, but I also am little sad/cross.

Yesterday I was told by Yorkshire that I couldn't sponsor Finlay Bean. They were no longer having sponsors for the Academy side.{after Ive paid the money too}
This was a real blow in my take over plan, however, seriously, I think that they are missing a trick.
Their reason being that if only 2 academy players get sponsors then the other lads may feel left out.
In some ways I see the sense, however it doesn't stop the disappointment.

I think that by next year they will make sponsorship corporate only and I will lose Ben and Tom.
Best get the 'wellness and well being' centre set up.

And so I did end yesterday even more jaded with the club that I love.


In other news, I ache a little today but having had serious pain in my glutes ( my fat a**e in laymans terms) since November and all that went on  then, yesterday and today I no longer have this pain which is probably due to stretching  the muscles in said  fat a**e.
Result!


I will be  going without a 'Big Al's ' today although as suspected the rest of the office have fallen off the diet wagon and are on the double steak burgers this morning.
As I have to lose at least 3 stone ( according to the physio) there is no chance of anything from  the Big Al van.
I will be having weetabix and fruit instead.

England were batting yesterday in day one of the test, they had lost  4wickets by close of play. Stokes and Pope stopped the ship from rocking too much but with the current highest score being 44 its to be hoped that the batting improves down the order.

And now I'm off to finish the week and begin the weekend of painting as I prepare to  paint the airing cupboard and possibly make a start on the boiler cupboard, { which is a huge walk cupboard}
Time to get things  moving.

Have a great weekend.

Tired old Thursday

Wow I am super tired this morning, I opened my eyes at 5.15am and then closed them again until 5.45am, which means that I will now be in total panic as I am half an hour behind!

I am standing and walking after last nights Pilates class which means that it will hit me tomorrow.

And talking about the class, I can see why there is a waiting list, she puts any class I have been to before in the shade.

She also only has 7 people in the class at one time.

She suggested a couple of DVD's to use  in between classes and I am back again next Wednesday.

eventually I am hoping to do 2 classes a week with her.

In cricket news, Jofra Archer is not playing in the 3rd test through injury,

One wonders if he has been over played after all the hype to fast track him?

In other cricket news Yorkshire are continuing to send out emails to members regarding The 100.

WHY???

And apparently if you renew your membership you get discounted tickets...…………….why are they doing this when The 100 is a franchise and not part of Yorkshire, well apart from using Headingley which as a member is where I would expect to see the official Yorkshire CCC team play.

I'm not going to dwell on this as Yorkshire appear to be giving themselves enough rope.

The weather is on the turn here { probably due to Storm Brendon or whatever it was called}, apart from high winds and rain, there is  horribly icy nip in the air and last night coming out of the warmth of the studio it actually took my breath away.

I think that we have got off very lightly with the weather in the last couple of months.

Work is work and starting to ramp up with new jobs coming in and Lainey trying to get at least 6 O & M's out of the door before the end of the month.

so best to get out the door and get to it.

Have a great day.

Pilates day

Well its midweek and it is also the day that I join the proper Pilates class. As you can tell I am super excited about this .

In other news, my fabulous plaque ( above) that was made for me for my birthday , now has a perspex cover which is to be fixed over the front before it is hung.
This was courtesy of Norty Morty and an off cut that he found when they were clearing out one of the workshops, in fact they found that many offcuts that we have been able to use them for an on going job which has proven to be a great money save and highlight that the workshop need to be more aware and not just order new on every job.
oh I got all work ranty there for a little moment!


In cricket news, I am not sure what is happening in South Africa after Jack Leach is sent home due to being ill. So in November he had sepsis, and they still took him onto South Africa where he has suffered gastroenteritis and flu.
The coach himself saying that he hasn't been able to get 100% fit, so I rest my case as to why we are carrying invalids!

All the stupid talk about 4 day tests has been put to rest as The MCC have said it is 5 days and nothing less.
Will this shut up old 'Dolly Hair Vaughan,' I doubt that very much after all he only listens to the sound of his own voice.

'My boys' are still having a blast in Australia although time is counting down to them coming home.
What a great experience for them both.


Rhys the joiner came out last night to sort out some things before he comes to do the kitchen work, I have had to put it off until next week but hopefully this time next week, we will have new kitchen tops and  shelves, as well as a new blind in the downstairs shower room { yes I managed to get one}
and   the airing cupboard upgrade.

I'm so excited, simple things...….

Happy thoughts

I'm not a big lover of January, nothing to do with resolutions and dieting, more to do with the fact it is the month that I lost both my Mum and Dad and as such I am always glad when it is over.
Hence the need for happy thoughts.
Yesterday I booked a flight to Dublin to go and visit a friend and I am now having very happy thoughts about swanning off to Ireland for a couple of nights.

I also am going to  be dressing a few teddies ready for the season and the matches that are taking place in Scarbs. I know I said never again, but I have a fighting chance with these  and not quite as many, so win win.

And it will keep me out of mischief.................not that I get into any, wonky foot, knee and hips put paid to that.

Ah the joys of getting old.

all my happy thoughts are focussed on Wednesdays Pilates session with the amazing Ashleigh. I am looking at this as my long term help to being fully well.
Its not going to happen over night but I have gone from having serious troubles walking any distance to just walking without pain thanks to the physio ( and doing exercises twice daily).
Everything to look forward.

I see in cricket news that Mark Wood  is getting bigged up by the man who got an MBE for 17 runs.
It seems that Mark Wood can get the SA batsmen jumping around {according to Collingwood}. Well that would be interesting to see I think we would be lucky to see Wood bowling a full test match, maybe I am being unkind, but to be fair we constantly carry a lot of injured players on tour in the hope that they will get fit.

I'm definitely in the wrong job!

And finally, yesterday I was googling 'Wedding anniversary presents', for a notable wedding anniversary of some friends.
The idea that kept coming up was to buy 'an experience' voucher, so I decided to have a look at what was on offer.

First thing to come up was 'Jack the Ripper walking tour for two!!!!!

WTH!!!!!!

I scanned through the selection and decided that maybe this wasn't the right website.

As the couple in question read the blog, I'll just say that I didn't buy you a tandem bungee jump either!!!!!

Time to head out and face Tuesday.

Surely the weekend can't be over!

Just as I was rejoicing it being Friday, it suddenly is Monday and I am trying very hard to see where the  weekend went.
The really good news for me is that the 'top' pilates class, recommended by my physio and which  is renowned for its extra long waiting list { Greg the physio referred to it as the Birkin bag of classes in this area}, have a space on Wednesday evenings and I am going to be filling it!!!!
I cannot even begin to explain how happy I am about this.
In preparation I did spend some of the weekend organising the dressing room, so that it can double up as a room to do extra pilates.


In cricket news, Jos Buttler apologised for his outburst which was caught on the stump mic. Horse bolting and all that.
There is obviously something pretty nasty going around the England camp as Captain Root missed training due to a stomach upset.
Listening to the news it seems with the loss of Jimmy, they are even touting Mark Wood with a place on the team for the 3rd test, I'm sure that the wheels with fall off that wagon before the tanned one sets foot onto the ground at Port Elizabeth.

The team seem to be in a sorry state!

Rhys the joiner is heading out The Wickets tonight and things should start to get moving in the kitchen. I also need to get a wriggle on and get the airing cupboard painted, which I haven't done yet!
I can't wait for new shelving to go in there.
Simple things.

I also feel that there are some things that I need to get on Ebay  soon, as I was putting the Xmas things away, I found a large box that had come out of the garage at The Chateau, and now has spent 6 month unopened. Time to sort through and either sell or donate.

keep the clutter to the bare minimum.

Wish I could do the same about my desk!!!

So guess its time to head off and sort out another week in the land of waste water.

Happy Monday.

Finally Friday

And finally it is Friday and the last working day of the week, it is also the day that I would normally drop of the order with Big Al on the way to work, but as the majority of us are watching our waistlines, there surprisingly is no order to take in............I think that by 8.30am there may be a phone order put in, Mickey Dripping and Norty Morty are sure to cave.

I am looking forward to the weekend, there is some painting and some furniture moving to be done.
I am hoping that Rhys the joiner comes round next week to do some work in the kitchen and the airing cupboard.

All exciting for me, incredibly boring for you all to hear.
However this is all to get the house closer to how I want it.
I am still looking for a blind for the downstairs shower room { to replace the make shift one that I put up before Xmas}and I thought that looking in the sales was a brilliant idea...………………...wrong, I still cannot find one.
Methinks that I might be a tad too choosy!!!!

In crickety sort of news, Shane Warne, never a favourite in this house, auctioned off his 'Baggy Green cap' a most treasured item and raised over £500,000, which  is going towards  the bushfire relief fund.

Well played to Shane.

The hideous Hundred keeps popping up on my Twitter timeline, now telling me the prices...…………….no need I'm not going and if it £30 a game, I can think of a lot better uses for that money.


Josh Buttler was fined for his choice of words to Phillander in the last test and that got picked up by the stump mic.
It was amazing that some England cricket fans were retweeting the exchange with comments such as ' go on lad', 'hero' etc etc.
imagine the indignation had it been the other way round.
Sledging is never the answer.

Well as there is not a lot of news, I might as well go to work.

Have a great weekend.

Smiley Thursday

And its Thursday, I cannot believe how quickly this week has gone by.

Yesterday morning was spent chatting with Tom and Ben who had met up to celebrate Tom's 21st.
I cannot tell you how proud I am to sponsor these two.
I have everything crossed for them this season.
A credit to their family and to the club.

And talking The club, they were celebrating their 157th birthday yesterday too.

I went to pilates last night and I can feel it this morning, however it is vitally important that I get to these classes as they will help me to keep my hips etc in proper alignment, strengthen my core!!! and help me get fitter.
I can honestly say that I do not EVER want to go through November 2019 ever again.

In cricket news the chatter about 4/5 day tests rattles on .
And the news came through that Jimmy is out for the rest of the South Africa tour!
I think he is a top boy, great bowler and amazing ambassador for the game, however maybe he needs to think about his body breaking down after 2 tests

I was checking out the fixtures again and if things go as planned {and I haven't gone off on a jolly} it looks as if I might be able to get to the Kent match which will be brilliant as not only will I hopefully see TLJL, but hopefully catch up with TLML too.

I have singled out a couple of games that I should be able to go to , but I am waiting for the 2nd XI fixtures which are much more important { and some academy}.


Well its time to head out of the door and its a wet and windy one here, been a  bit of a grim night.


Lots going  on today and I think that due to the stubbornness of one colleague its going to be a tough morning , and its still only the first week.

Roll on 2pm tomorrow.

Midweek

Well here we are at midweek and England won  the test, so we go into the next test on level ground.


Ah Jimmy Jimmy! now suffering from a suspected side strain!
I'm not sure what to say old chap!

And  we move onto Port Elizabeth.

I was listening to the BBL coverage on 5 live yesterday morning, when Liam Livingstone sustained a very 'uncomfortable' injury, having been hit in the box


I have to say that the commentators were trying very hard not to laugh as Livingstone hit the ground like a bag of spuds.
the comment of ' he opened his legs straight to it' followed by chuckling set me off I m sorry to say
As they tried to relate what was going on, on the field they were finding it hard to contain their mirth.

Poor Liam*


* words I never thought that I would say in relation to the Lancastrian


In other news, I arrived at work yesterday to find a bag full of jars on my desk.
I have trained my boys well and I think that there might be some chutney  making going on .

Today is also the birthday of Tom, one of my sponsored players at Yorkshire CCC.
He is celebrating his 21st in Australia where he has been playing since October.
However it wont be long until he is back here in the cold !

Have a great day Tom.

And on the subject of my sponsorship, I have renewed as a sponsor for both Ben and Tom as well as taken Finlay Bean under my wing too.
I also managed to secure sponsorship for another young player who I can't name, {and who I wanted to back myself}.
Its all about supporting and giving the lads the encouragement that they deserve.


well this is my 2600th blog and with that I am out the door.

Its a windy Wednesday here.

Lets try another day

Well day one was OK, in a work kind of way, I had forgotten how much you do in a day. I tell you I am longing for an Xmas movie marathon ( although they have now finished).

Time to dip my toe in to day 2.

In cricket ( yes I am going to talk about that again) after another player was struck down by football and injured, I wonder if they will continue to use this as a form of warm up.

England have set South Africa a high run chase total and are probably already getting the beers in the dressing room. Lets not forget this is just to level the series.

Could the men in green and gold bat out for a draw?

I have been reading Jimmy Andersons take on age and cricket. He says its just a number, and yes I do appreciate that he is and has been a great bowler but he is also someone who gets crocked at the drop of a box.

He will have to hang up his boots at some time.

And before you think that I am slating the team, I'm not I'm stating the obvious.

As Mark Wood has still not been seen in the team, I can only assume that the newest ECB tourist is happily soaking up a few rays in South Africa.

Maybe I am wrong and I'm sure you will tell me if I am.

I have managed to book a summer holiday this year..... in the summer, there are few games going on at Headingley and as a paying member that's where I expect the cricket to take place. So I am heading out to watch cricket in Europe, something that I have wanted to do for a while.

I have my flight to Southampton booked and it does seem that this may be the only time I see the 1st team, ( unless Ben and Tom get a call up).

Talking about my 'boys' they are safe and well in Australia and have been enjoying their Christmas.

Ben and Ella went off to watch the Adelaide Strikers in Melbourne, and I am very grateful to coach for organising this for me.

Well time to head off.

I got a bit ranty, hopefully the last time that this happens this year, I have too many things to make me smile than make me frown.

Happy Tuesday 

first day back to work

Welcome to the first working week of the new year for me.

It really has been a good break and I am ready to get this new year off to a good start.

There is lots planned and lots to get sorted.

But I have got 51 weeks to do it in!

I bumped into Tristan my neighbour yesterday and he told me that the new baby is here, she is beautiful and her name is Nadia.
That is super news for the new year too.
And  I do love babies.

Amazing news is that I have had a lot of interest in my facial yoga, I am sending out some literature to those who have enquired and hope too be running my first class in February.
This is really exciting.

Also on the new front I finally have a new laptop after problems with the one I bought before Xmas.
A completely different make and model so fingers crossed that this doesn't let me down.

I am not going to make any mention of cricket today, I have been watching and listening through my holidays and have thoroughly enjoyed it. { and all the tweets regarding Faf}.

Normality will resume this week, as everything reverts back to normal  with work.

I take this time to wish you all a belated Happy New Year and hope that it is happy, healthy and prosperous for you all.

Happy New Year

well I am back after an extended and much needed Xmas break.

Its been a lovely break and one that has seen me lying around in bed most mornings instead of frantically typing.

So how do I start off the New Year of blogs?

Last week the picture of my 'cricmas tree' was deemed by TMS as probably the best tree that they had ever seen.
Very high praise, and one that has meant that the tree will have another outing this year.

My lovely friend Steve aked me how the tree came about.

A funny  story to tell?

Not quite and it has taken me a good few days to write this blog.

Way back in early December 2009, I went out for Sunday lunch wih a friend having brought the tree and decorations outof the garage to sort out when I got home.

I got home to the news that my Mum was in hospital and had suffered a massive stroke, having spent most of the that afternoon and evening at the hospital and being sent home and told to expect the worse, I put the tree  away.

Mum made it through the night and between then and Christmas she was transferred to a stroke rehabilitation unit.

Christmas came and went.

Mum was admitted to a home for 24 hour nursing.

Fast forward early December 2010, horrible snow which showed no chance of clearing.
Sunday shopping in Darlingon and got a call that Mum had been admitted to hospital, so walked up to  see what was going on.

I was called in to see a consultant who informed me that due to the terrible implications of her stroke a tumour that they had just found in Mums stomach was inoperable.

Well the tree never even got a look out of the garage that year.

Early 2011 Mum passed away , and I couldn't  be bothered to have a tree that year either.

I gave the tree to the Charity shop.

By 2012 I had moved house and my sister said I should try to have Christmas as it was a new home and a new start.

I half heartedly tried to ' do christmas'.
However we had more sadness on Christmas day  that year and same in  early December 2013.

I was beginning to dread  December and the C word.

2014 saw me celebrating a big birthday and having cricket themed cupcakes on a 3 tier stand topped off with a large polysteyrene ball painted to look like a cricket ball, the seed was sown.

 I bought a tree stuck it in the corner of the dining room and just looked at it.

Maybe the antidote to my  Christmas blues was the thing that had got me through the last few years.......cricket.


So I began  by knitting tiny sweaters ( Yorkshire of course), then found some small polystyrene balls which I sat and painted over more nights than I care to think about, to resemble cricket balls
I added some Yorkshire themed tassels and set it up.

I loved it and in place of a star I used the large 'cricket 'ball from my birthday.

Most years I try to add to it, a couple of wooly Yorkshire hats, more tassels. This year I added white roses and some tiny  round red lights.


My fun tree actually has a sad story in its making, but it has given me a lot of pleasure every year since.

It was going to be its lst Christmas as I decided to have a 'grown up' tree this year but I  think that it deserves one more outing....................at least.